Typically when I go to a trade show two things happen. One is that I have a great time doing business and "playing" amongst my peers. The other is that I come back totally excited about the new products and worked up about the sport and the entire industry. I usually come back thinking that it was the best trade show ever. Well, this was not the best trade show ever. After 34 years in Las Vegas it is a shame to have this be the curtain call. Why? Because the industry is not in great shape, and many people at the show were depressed about this years business and worried about next season.
We are having a good sales year, so to me it's more or less business as usual around here. Outside of my little CalSkiCo cocoon however, the ski business has taken a big hit. Ski sales in particular have been poor. There are predictions of businesses failing at both the retail and wholesale end of the industry if next year is as bad as this. Many reps said that this is the worst year for the industry that they have witnessed. Some of them had been to all 32 Vegas shows.
So, a bad business climate leads to sour business men and women. This doesn't help with the general mood of the show. There was still a lot of good socializing but not with the usual enthusiasm. There are a lot of people that you meet and like over the years that you see at these shows. It is always good to see people like Wanona from Sports LTD in Redding. Hanging out at the Kastle event one night with the owner of Viking Ski (Chicago) was fun and interesting too. The highlight was probably Moroccan food with a great waiter and wonderful belly dancers. Martin and I went with Dan Dixson (who was our Fischer rep last year and our Head rep this year). Dan is one of the good guys and has become a good friend.
If you know me well, then you know that if belly dancers with friends is the highlight of the show, it wasn't a wild show for me. And generally this was the case for most people I think. Reps would be talking to you about business strategy for next year instead of their cool new products. Behind their eyes you could tell there was some fear. Businesses will be ordering less for next year. Would their product be the one to be left out?
Anyway, as I said, we are having a good year at CalSkiCo. My biggest obstacle has not been the economy but the weather. Always the weather for snow farmers! If we get some good dumps here we will finish strong. If not, we will have a weak last third of the sales season.
And so it goes. Farewell to Las Vegas. I feel bad for the dealers that are struggling this year. I hope that next year turns around, but I fear that this economic slump is not going to be quickly fixed. I am not entirely sure why we have not been impacted as much as most, but I have a pretty good idea. A good part of it is our fantastic loyal customers. I will adjust the buy for next year and play to our strengths a bit more (knowing that there will still be a lot of this years product out there next season). And in the end it will be all about the amount of snow that we get. It's always about the snowfall levels.
So it's goodbye to Vagas and hello to Denver. One thing is sure. Denver will have more snow than Las Vegas. More snow is always good.
